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Teaching and learning became more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic as classes moved online for both remote and hybrid learning. For hybrid learning, instructors harnessed various technologies to facilitate student-teacher engagement. Here we explored the use of an online collaborative platform, Miro Board, to aid teaching of organic chemistry for hybrid learning. We applied the revised Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework in our teaching exploration to support student-student and student-teacher interactions. Our experiences indicated that the use of Miro Board raises the social and learning presence in the revised CoI.

Valuing diversity leads to scientific excellence, the progress of science and most importantly, it is simply the right thing to do. We can value diversity not only in words, but also in actions.

Valuing diversity leads to scientific excellence, the progress of science and most importantly, it is simply the right thing to do. We can value diversity not only in words, but also in actions.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition from traditional face-to-face lectures to online learning, as well as the adoption of technology-enabled active learning in the classroom, has been accelerated. Here, we introduce the use of Telegram as a technological tool to support remote learning by helping students identify gaps in their content knowledge with ease and convenience. This was done by designing a quiz based on relevant topics on the Telegram Quiz Bot, while adding an element of gamification, whereby students compete in group chats for correctness and speed. Overall, the majority of the students responded positively to the use of the Telegram Quiz Bot.

A gamified approach toward Viva voce was implemented in a postlab activity to evaluate students in teams. In a game-show manner, students in teams of three select from an array of anonymized options to reveal a random question. They then chose one member of the team to answer. The assessor evaluated the team by the side instead of facing the students directly. The modified approach fostered collaboration among teammates and reduced stress felt by students in the Viva voce. This approach is effective because it removed the vis-à-vis presence of the assessor and reduced tension felt by students during the activity. We call this approach Viva la Vida.

Visualization of three-dimensional (3D) elements has always played a huge role in chemistry education. At the same time, it is a challenge to teach with most representations being shown in two-dimensional (2D) media. With the recent rise of extended reality (XR) that includes virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technology in higher education, attempts have been made at presenting 2D representations to students in a manner that is easier to understand. However, the effectiveness of said attempts has limitations. Our AR project has developed a free-to-use mobile application "Nucleophile's Point of View" (NuPOV) that aims to address these limitations. By allowing users to not only view chemistry concepts in an AR setting but also interact with them by hand, they are able to learn and understand at a deeper level through an individualized and self-directed learning experience. Our study has shown that such an approach proved to be relatively well-received by students.

As numerous varsity campuses remain closed during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, educators must look for suitable digital tools to conduct lessons and engage learners online. In this report, we discuss how to structure the online lessons using the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI). The CoI was applied to the university elective course "Learning to Choose Better", taught by chemistry faculty. By using the appropriate digital tools in our course, we found success in achieving engagement, active learning, and team teaching. Until the world finds a resolution to the pandemic, online teaching will continue to be the new normal. Educators could view this time as a prime opportunity to experiment, innovate, and break new grounds in the realm of remote online teaching.

COVID-19 has besieged academic institutions worldwide. As countries closed their international borders and imposed lockdowns, faculty have faced unprecedented challenges in finding alternative modes of teaching and assessment as replacements for the traditional face-to-face classes. In this piece, we describe the journey of the chemistry instructors in managing and overcoming the disruptions we faced teaching a freshman organic course in the time of tight safety measures. We describe the change in assessment modes in our course and the impacts of such changes to our students' academic performance and to our faculty's teaching feedback ratings.

The redesign of an advanced analytical and physical chemistry practical module for senior undergraduates is described in this report. The underpinning rationale for the changes is to use cooperative learning groups placed in situations beyond their previous experience to increase the student experience of Kolb's Learning Cycle to a level greater than is usual for undergraduates. The students are required to make decisions in the context of ambiguity and unknown unknowns, hence gain experience to prepare them for research or post university life. The assessment has been aligned with the Intended Learning Outcomes; authentic group-based laboratories with Socratic questioning has been implemented for four years. Both direct (quantitative) and indirect (qualitative) measures of the effect of the changes are reported. The effectiveness of the scaffolding of the new exercises has been measured using mark outcomes, staff observations and student thoughts about what they have learned. Evidence indicates that although marks have only increased marginally (by about 1.5 marks), the differences between the old and redesigned modules are statistically significant. Similarly, a Dixon's Q analysis revealed no outliers at p = 0.05. Deep learning by students is occurring, and there seems a much higher level of engagement than previously. There are also statistically significant differences across the two sides of the module, with perceived deeper learning on the more "strictly" Socratic (analytical) side of the module.

Field trips are a common activity for instructors to engage students and give them a first-hand understanding of a subject, especially in environmental chemistry. However, the planning and execution for a field trip is logistically challenging and demanding of human and material resources. Here, we demonstrate the conduct of a virtual overseas field trip for 74 students with the use of a web-based virtual reality (VR) application. From the feedback after the virtual field trip, students reported general receptiveness toward such use of VR technology.

Introduction From the structure of DNA, (1) to computer science, (2) and space-station batteries, (3) several key scientific discoveries that enhance our lives today were made by marginalized scientists. These [...]

A mobile application game has been adapted to teach students about laboratory instruments, glassware, apparatus, and techniques. The game was designed with reference to a popular icebreaker game, "Charades!", to ensure that it was easily accessible to students. Students will hold a mobile phone just above their forehead, which will then flash the name of a particular type of apparatus or an analytical technique. They deduce the answer based on the description given by their team members. The gamified approach is a relaxing alternative to traditional didactic recitations. This strategy is effective because it requires students to communicate openly through deliberate practice with their teammates. We call this game "ChemCharades."

With 360° cameras becoming increasingly available at affordable costs, 360° videos have been gaining momentum online as an exciting visual medium that engages viewers in an immersive 360° panoramic view. In this report, we share insights of our experience in using 360° cameras to capture several laboratory techniques in an undergraduate organic chemistry course and raise pertinent issues regarding the 360° videos. In summary, we found that 360° videos add value in terms of its large field of view, but pose some potential problems in terms of disorientation and lack of focus.

Drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), usually helicopters or airplanes, are commonly used for warfare, aerial surveillance, and recreation. In recent years, drones have become more accessible to the public as a platform for photography. In this report, we explore the use of drones as a new technological filming tool to enhance student learning in the field of analytical and environmental chemistry. In particular, chemistry students have difficulty in applying knowledge learned in the practical context, e.g., finding potential sites for soil sampling. Our effort was focused on improving the understanding of terrain and examining potential "good" sampling sites by providing instructor's point of view (IPOV) videos filmed with a drone. Students responded positively to this innovative filming method in a perception survey. The merits and challenges of filming with drones will be discussed.

Currently there are two primary methods of recording flipped classroom videos: (1) using the white board and (2) screencasting a PowerPoint presentation. Both methods have several disadvantages. In the former, the presenter's body obscures the content. Both methods lack an element of human interaction between the viewers and presenter and require lengthy editing. These reasons discourage educators from adopting the flipped classroom. In this article, we share our motivations and experience with the Lightboard, an interesting method of filming with a glass board that addresses the aforementioned problems. This novel format, first introduced and developed by Professor Michael Peshkin at Northwestern University, could help achieve our pedagogy goal of engaging chemistry learners better by providing greater visual connection with the lecturer.

The current model of flipped classroom ensures that learning is not being restricted to the brick and mortar setting. Lessons can be conducted anywhere, anytime, as long as there is a good internet connection. Most of the flipped classroom and e-lectures are videos recording PowerPoint slides with a human voice as the audio instruction. In laboratory teaching, flipped pre-lab is not typical. The closest it gets is the filming of laboratory demonstration using a handheld camcorder. How can we captivate the audience in a manner that will make it an even more realistic demonstration? The application of a small device, GoPro camera, empowers the demonstrator to teach his students with a new perspective.